TMFBro's Blog

Repeal tax breaks for religions and church-goers

TMFBro — Wed, 27 Jul 2011 11:07:12 GMT

I read on Politico this morning that Pastor Rick Warren, author of a book my mom keeps wishing I'd read, Tweeted (but then deleted) the following: "HALF of America pays NO taxes. Zero. So they’re happy for tax rates to be raised on the other half that DOES pay taxes.”

Two weeks ago, I wrote on GetRichSlowly.org that college is a big, fat, hairy rip-off. Now, here's another "-off" (in this case, Dr. Laurence Kotlikoff) arguing that th...

They're baaaaack: Social Security personal accounts

TMFBro — Fri, 18 Mar 2011 13:51:17 GMT

Given the crash of 2008, you might have thought that this was a dead issue. But all it takes is a couple of years of good stock-market returns to bring it back. The latest person to call for personal accounts is Peter Ferrara in Forbes ("A Winning Plan for So...

Politicians and lobbyists: Evidence of the slobbery, open-mouthed kiss

TMFBro — Thu, 17 Mar 2011 11:47:03 GMT

Remappingdebate.com has a neat little tool that lets you check up on the lobbying past of folks currently working in Congress. The flip side of this is, many of the current Congressional employees who haven't made the list ye...

Is the "bond bubble" overblown?

TMFBro — Tue, 15 Mar 2011 16:48:32 GMT

We keep hearing about how bonds are in a "bubble" and headed for a "crash," such as a recent article from Bloomberg entitled "The Makings of a Bond Debacle," with the subhead "Economists pick up early signs of a 1994-style bond rout in the acti...

Tax the Deca-Millionaires!

TMFBro — Tue, 15 Mar 2011 13:04:13 GMT

Yesterday, NPR's "Tell Me More" had an interesting discussion about Japan and the budget deficit with Wall Street Journal reporter Sudeep Reddy. Readers suggested various ways to close the budget gap, and one suggested that household...

Raise your hand if you thought the market would drop today

TMFBro — Fri, 11 Mar 2011 13:36:49 GMT

As we Americans awoke this morning (and rubbed the stink bugs out of our eyes, at least if you live where I do -- though they may soon meet their nemesis), we were greeted with the news of the earthquake and tsunami in Japan, as well as (though not as important, of course) global stock markets declining as a res...

College is a big, fat, hairy rip-off!

TMFBro — Wed, 09 Mar 2011 14:36:52 GMT

That's the topic of my latest post on GetRichSlowly.org. But, despite the evidence, I also think people who have procreated should still save for their creation's education, most likely through a 529 plan (I explain the pros and cons in the article).

Read about "manly firmness" (and the Declaration of Independence)!

TMFBro — Mon, 07 Mar 2011 14:47:13 GMT

I was reading the Declaration of Independence last night, and came across the phrase "manly firmness," referring to the degree to which "Representative Houses" opposed King George's invasions. It will become one of my favorite phrases.

That's just one of th...

Retirement sucks if you have small gonads

TMFBro — Thu, 03 Mar 2011 15:18:42 GMT

Retirement will be no fun if you're too sick or dead to enjoy it. So while you work to build your wealth, don't ignore your health.

Along those lines, a recent study has found that mice who exercise can delay the physical manifistations of aging (as reported by the

James Glassman, co-author of the infamous Dow 36,000, is out with a new book (Saftey Net) and a Wall Street Journal op-ed.

Regarding

Credit card rewards that get deposited into an investment account

TMFBro — Thu, 11 Nov 2010 10:06:39 GMT

That's the topic of my recent GetRichSlowly article.
If you have experience with these cards, or know of any better ones, please let us know in the comments below.

French go nuts over retiring two years later

TMFBro — Mon, 18 Oct 2010 14:29:18 GMT

According to the BBC, strikes in France have choked off the fuel supply:
*"About 1,500 petrol stations in France have run dry or are about to close as fuel supplies are hit by strikes over government pension reforms, officials say."
*"Workers at F...

Mortgage Bankers Association and its own mortgage troubles

TMFBro — Fri, 08 Oct 2010 10:52:39 GMT

From "The Daily Show":
The Daily Show With Jon Stewart Mon - ...

Supernatural debt relief! God will pay your bills!

TMFBro — Fri, 08 Oct 2010 10:08:21 GMT

Flipping through the channels last night, I came across an informercial from this fellow:
The Washington Post writes today of a recent study (commissioned by Sallie Mae, not exactly a disinterested party) that finds Americans are struggling to pay for college: "The study, which was conducted by Gallup, found that the percentage of ...

The lifelong cost of war

TMFBro — Mon, 04 Oct 2010 16:43:19 GMT

The St. Pete Times has an article on soldiers who have suffered traumatic brain injuries (TBI) in Iraq or Afghanistan. We often focus on the number of people killed in a war, and give the injured just passing thought -- as if they have a cold and will get over it. However, thousands of soldiers will suffer the consequences...

Meet with a financial planner, for free

TMFBro — Mon, 04 Oct 2010 13:38:03 GMT

Want some free advice from a financial planner? It can be yours, if a Financial Planning Day is coming to your town. Here's the lowdown:
"Each local Financial Planning Day will feature experts from the Financial Planning Association® and highly qualified CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ ...

All that talk about bond bubbles

TMFBro — Mon, 04 Oct 2010 12:59:05 GMT

Jason Zweig writes in the WSJ about the bond "bubble":
"The bond market is a bubble, and the little guy is blowing it. That has been a constant refrain on Wall Street lately, as reta...

Are lower taxes on gains and dividends good for the economy?

TMFBro — Tue, 10 Aug 2010 10:20:34 GMT

Like many people, I'm reading a lot about whether letting the 2001 and 2003 tax cuts is good or bad. Unlike many people, I haven't made up my mind yet, and am working through it. I'm posting some thoughts here in hopes that you, dear reader, will offer some of your own.
I'll start with Glenn Hubbard's